Friday, July 03, 2009

The Relentless Damage of Pope Benedict XVI

It’s not enough that he has set Catholicism back several decades (you should have known that was his objective when he chose the name of the last pope he could actually respect, Benedict XV, 1914-1922, who invented canon law). Having torched seminaries with his witch hunt for homosexual candidates for the priesthood, he has now turned his bloody eye on that weakest and most endangered workforce of the Roman Catholic Church, the nuns.

As reported in The New York Times, B16 has initiated what he is calling a “visitation”, but let’s call it what it really is, an inquisition. He’s gotten wind of the fact that some nuns don’t wear habits, some nuns have secular work (gotta pay the bills on those vast and empty convents) and some nuns have supposedly developed an interest in Reiki. B16 in usual Vatican fashion lumps Reiki in with voodoo and sees it as opposed to Catholic faith. (This is a subject for another day, but Reiki actually talks about the flow of healing energy from and within the human body. Substitute grace for energy and you’re on safe Catholic ground. Plus, the “laying on of hands” is part of ancient Catholic tradition and ritual. Reiki just does it more intently.)

Because B16 can’t ride his dark horse up to the gate of each and every American convent, he has deputized an American nun as his grand inquisitor visitator. The New York Times calls her “apple-cheeked” and with “smiling eyes” but make no mistake. She is B16 in a dress. Oh wait. A different dress (supply any reverse drag joke you like). Mother Mary Clare Millea has a degree in canon law from the Lateran University in Rome. She’s a well-connected Vatican tool. Beneath her sweet words of overture to the nuns of America is the obvious disciplinary intent. Don’t believe me? Read the letter she wrote to the Superiors General of orders of American nuns, encouraging cooperation in this Apostolic Visitation. Did you miss the part where she, unable to ride her own dark horse up to the gates of those dusty convents, asks for a supply of deputies to do the inquisition visitation for her?




Please note that all those who take part in the work of the Apostolic Visitation will be acting in the name of the Apostolic See. For this reason, they must be willing to make a public profession of faith and take an oath of fidelity to the Apostolic See.




I guess the vows that nuns take and the creed that all Catholics recite at Mass are not enough for grinning Sister Cheeky. She’s demanding a special allegiance to B16 that will assure her of a compliant army of like-minded tools.

Any nun who participates in this nonsense should have her head examined. Already treated like second-class–wannabe-priests-without-dicks, nuns have in recent decades had to fend for themselves in designing their role in the church. In that process and with no chance to actually administer the sacraments they are taught to revere, they have become educated and ministerially effective in non-traditional ways. I would venture to say that in many communities, nuns are more respected than priests because they obviously lack institutional clout but still do the drudge work of mercy that is closer to the intention of the authentic Jesus rather than that of the sock puppet Jesus into which B16 daily shoves his fist.

To be sure, I’ve got some bad memories of working with some miserable nuns, but I also knew and respected an equal number of really good ones. As you would guess, there were many lesbians among both the good and bad lots. They get a doubly raw deal from the Catholic Church and I always wondered why they didn’t all walk away from it.

I have one thing to say to all the nuns that remain. Ladies, this is your chance to grow some big ones. With one voice, you need to send a resounding “F__K You” to B16 when Mother Mary Clare Millea and her minions come to inspect your skirts. I am rather sure that is what Miss Jesus would do.

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Thursday, July 02, 2009

Dennis Deaned

Yesterday, I had my picture taken by the excellent Fort Lauderdale photographer Dennis Dean. The Blade was not happy with the photo I had supplied. In it, I appear to be naked. This they found irksome.

As is the case with everything else in Fort Lauderdale, the shoot for the new image took place in a parking lot. Dennis knew what he was after and wanted the pic to match the tone of what I've been saying in The Blade. Wry? Sardonic? Slightly irreverent? Hard edges melting into compassion? Eh. Wish I had big hair.

Bilerico New York

This will be great fun, and given the recent demise of the New York Blade and the precarious status of print, there will be plenty of room for our irreverent magazine.

Queer leaders had for the price of a cocktail

Guess I won't be sleeping in the Lincoln bedroom any time soon. This week's Viewpoint in the SF Blade which incidentally has not succumbed to the coma of the New York Blade.

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Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Thursday on Bilerico: Should He Love a Wallflower?

You'll have to go to Bilerico tomorrow after 10:30AM to find my response to the following:

Dear Father Tony

My steady boyfriend is a man who can’t dance. He won’t even try to learn how to dance. I dragged him onto the floor at our club just once. His face was so sad I gave up after a minute. My mother always said (not to me specifically) “Watch out for the ones who don’t dance.” I love to dance but I’m falling for a man I’ll never dance with. Should I run the other way?

Fred no Ginger


It's up. Get on it.

NYC March Stats

This is the way stuff should be. Here's the Governor of New York - Grand Marshal of the Pride March - embracing Maurice Michaane, Director of the March.



It was a grand day. According to the young (28) Maurice:

1) we had over 320 groups/organization participate - up 25%
2) 65 floats and 170 vehicles - double the amount from last year
3) we are the longest March/Parade in the city
4) with double the amount of vehicles/floats and a 25% increase in people, we still finished the same time as last yr
5) we had 4 grand marshals, and Gov Paterson made history as the first sitting US Gov to ever accept and walk down a Pride March as a Grand Marshal
6) we had 300 march volunteers, most ever
7) we had a 25% increase in the amount of registered people marching, they say the number was over 100k people marching,
8) it was an amazing day and the feedback is extremely positive and we start planning for 2010 now!



(photo by Chase Wink)

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Bilerico honored by The Advocate

A very nice tip of the hat from The Advocate.
(I don't know what I'm doing inside a political blog, other than keeping the feet of all the other contributors planted firmly in the gutter.)

Monday, June 29, 2009

How fireflies cruise and sometimes lose.

I had no idea.

And I'm sure I don't need to list the obvious parallels.

Marching NYC Gay Bloggers

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Gay Marching NYC Bloggers pause in front of Stonewall on the 40th Anniversary



A wonderful and glorious day.

(Photo by my husband and our marshal, C)

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

What I said in the South Florida Blade this week: